I'm the opposite. Not so much with tips, but with the street vendors and the kids selling stuff. They need to make a living, right? Sometimes I think I'm a sucker for every young person who comes up to me. One of my frequent travel companions is a Class A shopper, and she's a bad influence on me! It's much worse when she and I are together than when I'm with any (non shopping) companion. I'm especially susceptible at the beginning of a trip, when the trinkets are new and I'm high on the adventure of the journey. Then, I end up with a bunch of unshakable street vendors trailing me and regret the whole thing. I buy the trinket, postcards, scarves or whatever, sometimes at top dollar. Like, really, do I need to negotiate that down from $2 USD to $1.50??? There is a rub, though, when you see a pricier item for 50% less from another vendor. See the big red "sucker" target centered right on my forehead? The vendors see it too! Luckily, I am a "no checked luggage" traveler, so I am self regulating after a point, and limited to small, hopefully lightweight items that will fit into my carry on.


I did get a lecture in Cambodia about buying from the kids, a local person clued me in that if the kids are making money selling trinkets, they don't go to school. If they don't make enough on the streets, then they'll go to school. That was a quandary for me, but I did say "no" for a while.

Say no, and walk fast... I must learn to do this better!